I am delighted that fantasy author D. Wallace Peach has given me permission to dive into her archives and I have had a amazing time selecting four posts to share with you. This week back to nature, and if you think you have bats in your belfry… you might not be crazy.

Bats in the Writer’s Belfry by D. Wallace Peach

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I have a three-season writing room. Four-season, if I light the wood stove and heat the place up. Finishing the roughed-in room over my husband’s workshop was one of the first projects I undertook when moving to the wilderness of Oregon.

Wilderness naturally entails a plentitude of wildlife, and my writing room has endured its share of feathered, winged, and furry visitors.

I love it when the hummingbirds fly in the window and hover over my head before zipping out again.

I didn’t even mind when the walls filled with wasps. The room vibrated with a soft hum while I sat peacefully among them and wrote. After two years of friendly buzzing around my head, they mysteriously moved out all on their own.

Then the bats moved in.

We are a bat-friendly household even though Nature Boy (aka the husband) has watched a few too many Dracula movies. He swears that “Batty” swoops at him as he runs the gauntlet from the door to the car every morning.

For two years, the bats and their buddies have been partying in my writing room, and it didn’t look like they intended to take a hint from the wasps and relocate any time soon. In fact, they were inviting their friends to take up residence. It was getting a little crowded, and though bat poop isn’t horrifyingly gross, it’s still gross.

So, a week ago, it was time for Batty and his buds to git.

The first task was to plug up their access to the room, which meant closing the gaps around the windows and doors, hauling the nail gun and compressor up there and securing the wooden slats on the ceiling. I knew where they were getting in because I could see the grubby mess left by their little hands and feet. Eeek.

Then I needed to find them. In US politics, you follow the money; when seeking bats, you follow the poop.

I found two tiny fellows, no bigger than my thumb, hanging behind my picture frames. I opened the door and windows, and fitted with gloves, nudged the little guys from their roosts. That probably wasn’t the best idea, because I found myself in a small room ducking and weaving as two bats flitted, swooped, and dove around my head.

The dummies had no idea where the windows and door were, and all three of us were in a bit of a panic. I considered running out of the room screaming, but I feared they’d simply find a new place to hide. And honestly, I’ve never been particularly scared of wild animals, so I stayed and encouraged them with a kind voice to scram!

Finally, Batty and his cousin flitted out the window and I slammed the thing shut quick! After that, it was a matter of a deep clean, and my writing room is ready for the summer. It’s been a week and no new visitors… yet.

Bat Friendly Facts from the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife and me:

Oregon’s bats do not turn into vampires.

They eat only insects. An adult bat eats about 1,000 insects every hour!

Bats hang upside down because it gives them an ideal position for take-off.

Bats can fly 20 to 30 miles an hour and travel more than 100 miles a night.

I didn’t care for reading as a child – I preferred Bonanza and Beverly Hillbillies reruns, Saturday morning cartoons and the Ed Sullivan show. Then one day, I opened a book titled The Hobbit. Tolkien … literally changed my life.

I love writing, and have the privilege to pursue my passion full time. I’m still exploring the fantasy genre, trying out new points of view, creating optimistic works with light-hearted endings, and delving into the grim and gritty what-ifs of a post-apocalyptic world. Forgive me if I seem untethered in my offering of reads. Perhaps one day, I’ll settle into something more reliable. For now, it’s simply an uncharted journey, and I hope you enjoy the adventure as much as I.

I didn’t know what to expect when I came across this title on D. Wallace Peach’s website, but the title and the cover drew me and after hesitating far longer than I should have, I decided to make the purchase- and can I just say, WOW!

This is the story of three kingdoms and the men and women who rule them, some with deceit more than honor. When heir to the throne Raze Anvrell witnesses the murder of his young wife, he blames his father and disowns his family. He leaves to make his own way and learns over time, with the help of his mentor, that anger and hatred is not the answer to a peaceful soul.

The author has a beautiful, poetic way of writing that drew me right into the story- I couldn’t set it down! Some of my favorite lines:

“What do you believe?”

“That we are children in a corner of the world trying to draw borders around the universe. We study a drop of rain and think we understand the sea. The only thing we can fully understand is ourselves, and even that task is beyond most.”

“The winter rains had abated, and waves of hammered bronze rolled into the cliffs with the rhythm of a heartbeat. The islands of the Shattered Sea crouched like hunchbacked giants tamed by the evening tide”.

“Traveling to the sea cities was more than a physical journey for Raze. He returned sharper and dirtier with hard black seeds of malcontent like gravel in his shoes. Except they lodged in his skin and eyes and heart. They grew with weedy hunger”.

“Maybe my desires are just poetic dreams pirouetting in the snow”.

Loss, love, war and betrayal- Soul Swallowers is a masterful fantasy novel!

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About Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

My name is Sally Cronin and I am doing what I love.. Writing. Books, short stories, Haiku and blog posts. My previous jobs are only relevant in as much as they have gifted me with a wonderful filing cabinet of memories and experiences which are very useful when putting pen to paper. I move between non-fiction health books and posts and fairy stories, romance and humour. I love variety which is why I called my blog Smorgasbord Invitation and you will find a wide range of subjects. You can find the whole story here.
Find out more at https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/about-me/

Thanks so much for finding and sharing my bat story, Sally. I’m afraid that they’re still getting into my writing room somehow… so there may be another bat-post someday in the future. And thanks for sharing Jacqui’s review. She’s a sweetheart too. Happy Writing, my friend. Hugs!

A brilliant post Diana.. we had little ones around our home in the mountains in Spain.. they liked the pine trees.. they would sometimes fly into the house chasing mossies when we forgot to put the screen up.. devils to catch.. drove the dog nuts. thanks for the memories.. hugsxx

I like your three-season writing room, Diana. All ghee creatures do give you inspirations for your writing. I would love to have my hummingbird hover over muy heading before zipping away. So far he likes to be alone and I haven’t trained him to come near me.
I knows bats are good for the environment, but you may not want them to be indoor. Good you took care of them

I’m heading home today but come back again beginning of June to watch Autumn for 8 days when my daughter and SIL go on vacation. 😃😊

Thanks for the visit, Miriam. I’m so pleased to be over here at Sally’s with this post. Those bats are back and I need to finally figure out how they’re getting in. We have bat houses around the property, but apparently, my writing room is comfier. Have a safe trip back and rest up for June. Ha ha. Hugs.

Do you have bat houses to attract bats to kill insects? Yes, I hope you’ll figure out how they get into your writing room. They seem to be small enough to get in just by opening and closing the doors.
I need to rest up, for sure. I have to sleep when she sleeps during my babysitting! ❤ 🙂

Bats are great, I just don’t like them flitting around my house. Or my head! These little things that weigh all of two ounces suddenly have 12-foot wing spans and huge fangs. Or so it would seem as they fly around not quite echo-locating the open doors and windows. Nice (bat-free) writing room.

Thanks Trent.. glad I read this morning and not last night before bed… bats do take on mythical proportions, especially over repeated retelling of our experiences.. a bit like fishermen and the ‘one that got away’

There is something about bats fluttering around my head that magnifies their size – I see it resting and know it is tiny, but when it starts zipping around the room in a panic, my imagination makes it huge.

That’s odd, but maybe WP is being finicky. It doesn’t like me today, apparently. And as usual, Sally has some magic going on over here. Thanks so much for sharing, Robert. Hopefully some readers will get a laugh from my trials by bat. Ha ha. Have a wonderful evening. 🙂 ❤

Thanks for sharing Rob.. I commented on one of the other posts..you are not alone experiencing issues today.. the recent weekend upgrade has as usual created issues for some.. hopefully resolved as the week goes on.

I can imagine that would freak a few customers. They squeak all day long in the eaves of our house, Jacquie, and visitors don’t seem to care until they find out what’s making the noise! But inside the house, not really my thing. Lol. Thanks for visit!

What fun getting to know you a little better, Diana. Your critters and bats story is pretty funny but I wouldn’t be so sanguine about that kind of home company. I don’t know how you managed to stay calm and work through your invasions. Is that gorgeous wood, turquoise, and lime room really your writing space? Am I ever envious – it’s lovely.

Thanks for stopping by, Sharon. That is my writing room, and I’ve spent many happy hours up there with the laptop and the critters. The bats are back, unfortunately, so I’m facing another wildlife encounter before I settle in again. Wish me luck!

Great story, Diana! (Thank you, Sally) I also had an unforgettable bat experience. I was on an extension ladder painting a small space where a second story deck ran parallel to the house. It was so narrow that I couldn’t see where I was painting. I felt my brush make contact with something and the next thing I knew I was startled by a frightened bat who flew right over my head. I damn near fell off the ladder. I did catch a glimpse of the bat as it flew off with a white stripe on it’s back. I so wanted to hear what the bat told his family when he tried to explain what happened. “I was sound asleep minding my own business when this goofy human tried to paint me!”

Ha ha ha. What a great story, Pete. The poor little striped bat. Lol. They just love hiding around our houses for some reason. Fortunately, most of them are rather harmless, surprising and creepy, but harmless. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!

So true, Robbie, although they are somewhat creepy looking. I can understand his choice. And the poor thing in your chimney… it might have been a rather pleasant place for a while. Thanks for the visit and comment, my friend. 🙂

My writing space is in the centre of the house, and I get visited by all manner of animals and people. I am thinking of building a shed at the bottom of our garden, the part that is overgrown where I would only have to share it with the birds and occasional spider!

I’ve seen some sheds that make wonderful writing spaces! Wouldn’t that be lovely? In 1929, Virginia Woolf wrote that “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” I can’t speak for the money, but the room… Thanks for the visit, my friend.

My husband and I used to get bats in the first home we owned. Getting them out was a challenge, especially with two cats in predator mode. We had to lock the cats up first—and those two weren’t easy to catch when they were chasing bats, LOL!

Except for the teeth and the poop! Lol. The hummingbirds are easy to entice in the window, Kevin … bright flowers! I even considered hanging a feeder inside. 🙂 Hummingbirds aren’t as messy and they don’t move in! Thanks for taking the time to read, my friend. ❤

A great post from your archives! Your writing room sounds wonderful and not lonely with the wildlife around. Even though we lived in an urban area, a bedroom community close to Vancouver, we occasionally had visits from the local racoon population. One wandered into our bedroom and was prepared to stay. Enjoyed this D. and Sally!

A raccoon in the bedroom?? Ha ha ha. That’s not something I hear every day, Darlene. They used to come into my house through the cat-door for the cat food. 🙂 The bats at least don’t require feeding. Thanks for the visit and I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Sally is incredibly thoughtful to share. Happy Writing!

I love your writing room, Diana! The bats probably wouldn’t have bothered me for a little while, either – but you’re right. It was time for them to move on. Had no idea they could eat so many insects in an hour.

They could have stayed, Teri, since all they did was “hang around.” But only if they learned to poop outside! Messy little beasts. I bat saga continues with another round of plugging holes in June. And cleaning. Hopefully, that will do it. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by Sally’s place to read and comment!

The image of Nature Boy running to the car under imagined bat assault–LOL! I appreciate bats for their role in the environment, however I think you put up with them a lot longer than I would have. I always remember the bat that snuck in one night, and the big furry “bug” my daughter found the next morning!

Sometimes we take the line of least resistance and hope they will remove themselves without having to resort to rubber gloves and chasing around the room….love the image that you conjured with that “bug”… thanks Julie..

I think I remember you telling me about the “big bug” the first time I posted this story. So funny, Julie. I heard that the way to get them out of the house is to open the windows, turn on all the lights, and wait for dark. The bats will fly out while all the moths and mosquitoes fly in! Happy Writing and Gardening, my friend.